Longer hair which is tied, braided, or otherwise secured in one or more elongate extensions or "tails" to the back of the head, has long been popular among women, and in fact is seen from time to time among men also. Generally, such hair is gathered toward the upper back of the scalp, above the location of the rear portion of the band of a hat or cap, if such is worn.
The result is that the gathering of the hair near the scalp, which by its nature forms a protruding bundle at that point, must be stuffed under the hat or cap, with the remainder of the hair extending outwardly and downwardly below the rear edge or band of the hat or cap. With closely fitting caps (e.g., billed or visored "baseball" style caps, etc.) such a configuration can be somewhat uncomfortable for the wearer of the headgear. Passing the hair through the opening above the usual adjustment band of such caps provides little additional comfort, as it is generally still too low for optimum positioning relative to the gathered hair at the upper back of the scalp. In the case of hats or caps having a specific, non-adjustable size, there is no such rear opening, which further exacerbates the situation.
Moreover, many men and women with longer hair also engage in various vigorous activities (e.g., jogging, etc.). Typically, a cap or hat is worn in colder conditions during such activities, and the hair is captured thereunder. This is especially true when a hooded windbreaker or the like is worn. The result is often that the longer hair absorbs perspiration due to the activity of the person, and becomes damp and uncomfortable as a result. Yet, there is generally no convenient alternative to allow the longer hair to remain free during such activities. While one solution would be simply to cut a hole in the upper back of hats or hoods to be worn, such a hole would be unsightly and would be uncomfortable for use when the hair is not tied back or braided to form a single bundled extension.
Accordingly, a need will be seen for a headgear accessory which provides a neat and attractive passage at the upper back portion of a hat, cap, hood, or other headgear, for the passage of the hair of a longer hairstyle therethrough. The accessory must be easily installable on such headgear, after forming an appropriately sized hole in the headgear, and should be sufficiently flexible to provide substantial closure of the opening when it is not needed. By forming plural slots in the accessory, the flaps of material defined by the slots will be pushed outwardly and will provide at least some resilient gripping of the hair passed therethrough, to provide security both for the hair and for the headgear.